Where will it End?

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Solomon

When I was in High School, everyone wanted to try them. When I entered the business world, all the sophisticated people seemed to use them. The ads and T.V. shows and movies are jam-packed with people who seem to have nothing but fun with them. But, in over 50 years of living, I cannot say that I have ever seen anything good come from the use of drugs and alcohol.

I have seen children abused by those who use them. I have seen marriages fall apart among those who use them. I have seen young people who have experienced loneliness and sorrow and confusion, when all they ever really wanted was to have a good time.

Why is that, do you suppose? Why do so many people run after things that are bad for them? Why don't drugs and alcohol make us cool and happy and carefree like the beautiful people in the commercials? Maybe it's because the ones promising us all of the fun are the dealers who are selling us the stuff. Maybe it's because they lie, when they promise good things from the party life. Maybe, just maybe, God was right when He had Solomon pen the words above. Maybe it's because those nerds who could never be cool because they didn't know how to party aren't so dumb after all. Maybe it's because it's way more fun to not wake up with a hangover than it is to wake up next to a fellow drunk who you don't even know.

I don't have all of the answers, but I can tell you this: I am tired of the pain that drugs and alcohol are causing to those I know and love. I am tired of the lies and deceit that always seem to accompany their use. And, more than anything else, I am tired of seeing these substances kill my friends. The sad thing is that we are at the end of another school year, and we all know what is coming. There will be parties to celebrate the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. And... some of these young people are going to die. Some are going to get caught (the lucky ones) and some (the unlucky ones) may very likely experience what will be the beginning of a lifetime of alcoholism or addiction to drugs.

The truth about drugs and alcohol is that they cause sorrow and confusion and death. The truth about God is that He would spare us from these things. If you find yourself caught in the grip of these substances, then get help. It will start with prayer through tears. It will continue with courage through the pain. But, it will end in joy. You can have the good life that God has intended for you, or...

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine... Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Proverbs 23:29-32, NIV